Hypothermia
by the.amazing.platypus
Summary: Percy's mother and Paul have gone on vacation for Christmas, leaving Percy and Luke in charge of their house. When Percy looses the key, and both boys are showing signs of hypothermia, how far will they go to keep each other warm?


"Well?" Luke asked impatiently. "Can you open the door? I'm freezing."

Percy's cheeks reddened. He looked down at the snow-covered ground and mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

"I…uh…lost the key." Percy's sea green eyes nervously looked into Luke's. They reflected his annoyance, which was changing quickly into anger.

"You lost the key? It's freezing out here! Your parents won't be home until tomorrow afternoon! They trusted us to take care of the house while they're on vacation. Imagine how they'll feel when they come home to find us dead on their front steps with pneumonia or something!"

Luke shoved Percy angrily and he fell back, landing in a pile of snow. Percy made a small noise of discomfort when the snow made contact with his pants. He picked up a handful of snow, formed a sphere, and hurled it at Luke's chest. It hit him where his shirt was exposed, as his coat wasn't zipped entirely.

Luke gasped as cold water seeped through his shirt, making contact with his skin. "Percy!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you don't know how to zip your coat. That snowball just happened to hit you in an unprotected area." He grinned. "Plus," he added, "you started it."

He started to get up, but Luke pounced on top of him, pinning him down in the snow. More icy water made contact with Percy's legs, and his hair became slightly damp after his head hit the ground. Luke lifted a gloved hand to grab for some snow, but Percy took hold of it. He pushed against Luke's hand with his own and used it to push himself on top of Luke, tackling him. The two young demigods wrestled until they were too tired to continue.

They lay side by side in the snow, laughing. Their clothes and hair were completely soaked, and the icy winter air was slowly beginning to freeze their bodies. Luke sat up. He was exhausted and a little dizzy. He couldn't feel his fingers and toes. Percy grabbed on to Luke's arm and pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Damn, it's cold," Percy complained. "I can't…" He held his head in his hand, unable to continue, and stayed there for a few moments. "I can't feel my…anything. Plus I have a newly acquired headache."

"I think my lips are going numb."

"This sucks. We're locked out, freezing, and—" He paused, thinking about all of their symptoms, and then realized something. "Hypothermia! We're in the early stages of hypothermia!"

"Shit."

"Okay," said Percy. "We need to get warm. We should probably start with our fingers and—"

"No, idiot!" said Luke. "You have to warm the body core first. Don't you pay attention in health class?"

"Gross! Nobody pays attention in health!"

"Only the cool people do. Anyway, we need to stay as warm and dry as possible."

They looked down at their dripping wet clothes. "We kinda failed at the 'dry' part," said Percy. "But we can attempt to get into my garage and try to keep warm in there."

"We can try," said Luke.

Percy stood, grabbed Luke's hand, and pulled him up. He then led him around the house to the garage. Then he remembered something. He pulled a brick loose from the patio, revealing his mother's hiding spot for her spare garage key. He picked it up and unlocked the door. He held it open for Luke.

"Ladies first," he said.

Luke stepped into the garage. "Losers last," he retorted.

"Har, har."

Percy shut the door behind him and shoved the key into his damp pocket. He felt along the wall for the light switch. Finding it, he turned on the lights. The garage was poorly lit with four light bulbs, one of which flickered occasionally.

Luke coughed uncomfortably.

"What?" asked Percy.

"We…uh…" He cleared his throat. "We have to get dry, so we need to…remove…all of our…damp…clothing."

"Okey dokey," said Percy, feigning nonchalance. Inside he was secretly…excited?

He took off his jacket and shirt and threw them in a pile on the floor. He then removed his pants, leaving him standing in his underwear. Luke did the same, adding his clothes to the soggy pile.

Luke coughed again. "Now we have to…warm…each other."

"Well," said Percy, trying not to let the savage butterflies attacking his insides be apparent. "I would not like hypothermia, so let's get warming!"

Luke, sharing the same secret feelings as Percy, decided to take action. "Lay down," he commanded.

Percy complied, trying not to seem too eager. Luke lowered himself on top of Percy, warming him with his body heat.

After a few minutes of silence, Percy said, "I think my lips are frozen. They feel like—"

Luke pressed his lips against Percy's, unleashing his inner gay beast. Percy kissed him back, running his hands through Luke's blonde hair. Then, as their kiss intensified, Luke's hand slipped underneath Percy and held his back, pulling him closer. When they finally broke apart for breath, Percy grinned at Luke.

"I think I'm cured."

"Me too."


End file.
